Small basement fire in York City leaves 3 temporarily homeless, officials say

A York City woman suffered a burn on her hand during a fire in the basement of her home Wednesday night, a fire official said.

The small fire, which started about 8:30 p.m., displaced the three people who live there and caused about $5,000 in damage, York City Assistant Fire Chief Larry Shroyer said. The home is in the 200 block of North Hartman Street, he said.

The injured woman was treated at Memorial Hospital, he said.

She accidentally started the fire when she went into her basement looking for something and used a lighter to illuminate the room, Shroyer said. The lighter ignited Christmas decorations and the fire spread from there, he said.

The three residents have been temporarily displaced, according to Leslie Brengle, spokeswoman for the York-Adams chapter of the American Red Cross.

The agency paid for the three to stay in a local hotel and provided them with financial assistance for food and clothing, Brengle said.